Renowned American civil rights leader, Jesse Jackson, has died at the age of 84, his family announced Tuesday morning.
In a statement, the family said he “died peacefully… surrounded by his family,” describing him as a lifelong servant leader devoted to justice, equality and the upliftment of oppressed communities around the world.
“Our father was a servant leader – not only to our family, but to the oppressed, the voiceless, and the overlooked around the world,” the statement read.
Jackson was a prominent figure in the American civil rights movement and worked closely with Martin Luther King Jr. during the 1960s struggle for racial equality in the United States. Over the decades, he evolved from activist to political powerhouse, seeking the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination in 1984 and again in 1988, cementing his place as one of the most influential Black political leaders of his generation.
He later founded the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, an organisation dedicated to civil rights, social justice and political empowerment. The group confirmed that public observances in his honour will be held in Chicago.
In 2017, Jackson disclosed that he had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, which he described as a significant physical challenge, but he continued to engage in advocacy and public life. In November last year, he was hospitalised for observation following a diagnosis of progressive supranuclear palsy, a degenerative neurological disorder.
The exact cause of death has not yet been officially confirmed.
Jackson is survived by his wife, Jacqueline, their children — Santita, Jesse Jr., Jonathan, Yusef and Jacqueline — as well as daughter Ashley Jackson and several grandchildren.
The family said details of celebration of life services and other memorial events will be announced in the coming days.
Tributes have begun pouring in for the civil rights icon, whose decades-long commitment to equality, voter mobilisation and social justice left a lasting imprint on American political and social history.
